ERIC Number: EJ1283638
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Mar
Pages: 33
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1468-7984
EISSN: N/A
The Effect of Language-Focused Professional Development on the Knowledge and Behaviour of Preschool Practitioners
Kidd, Lauren; Rowland, Caroline
Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, v21 n1 p27-59 Mar 2021
The purpose of this project was to investigate the effectiveness of a language-focused professional development programme on the knowledge and behaviour of preschool practitioners (sometimes called early years practitioners) in the UK. In Study 1 we determined whether the training received by practitioners is effective in improving their knowledge of how to support children's language and communicative development. In Study 2 we tested whether trained practitioners, and practitioners from centres with embedded Language Champions, were able to implement the techniques they had been taught. For this, we video-recorded practitioners interacting, one to one, with 2- and 3-4-year-old children in their centres. We conclude that (1) practitioners retain the knowledge they have been taught, both about how children learn and about how to promote this learning, and that (2), in some respects, this knowledge translates well into practice; practitioners in centres with embedded Language Champions and trained practitioners used language-enriching behaviours when interacting with children more often than did untrained practitioners. We discuss how the translation of some techniques into overt behaviour could be made more effective.
Descriptors: Faculty Development, Program Effectiveness, Preschool Teachers, Teacher Behavior, Language Acquisition, Communication Skills, Foreign Countries, Preschool Education, Learning Processes, Teaching Methods, Child Care Centers, Language Enrichment, Video Technology, Knowledge Base for Teaching, Vocabulary Development, Teacher Student Relationship, Early Intervention, Program Descriptions
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A